February 2, 2021

Logan Municipal Council Logan, Utah February 2, 2021 Minutes of the meeting of the Logan Municipal Council convened in regular session on Tuesday, February 2, 2021, at 5:30 pm via ZOOM Webinar at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82829481740 or Webinar ID: 828 2948 1740. Instructions for downloading and using ZOOM can be found at https://support.zoom.us/hc/en- us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting. Logan Municipal Council Meetings are televised live as a public service on Channel 17 and City of Logan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cityoflogan. To listen to the meeting by phone call: US: +1 669 900 9128. In compliance with Utah Code Ann. §52-4-207, Chairman, Mark A. Anderson read the following determination in order to hold an electronic meeting without an anchor location: Based on the rising cases of COVID-19 in the Bear River Health District and State Public Health Order 2020-18 ‘Adopting COVID-19 Transmission Area Restrictions’ categorizing our county designation as a High Transmission Area, it is determined that gathering in-person for the regular City Council meeting is a risk to the health and safety of those present. According to corona.Utah.gov, people at higher risk for severe illness include: Older adults, people of all ages with certain underlying medical conditions, and pregnant people might also be at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. Long- standing systemic health and social inequities have put many people from racial and ethnic minority groups at increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. Given that members of the Council and community who are required to be in attendance or may choose to attend have these risk factors, a virtual meeting (without an anchor location) will be held via Zoom. Logan Municipal Council Meetings are televised live as a public service on Channel 17 and City of Logan Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cityoflogan. To listen to the meeting by phone call: US: +1 669 900 9128 Council Members present at the beginning of the meeting via Zoom: Chairman Mark A. Anderson, Vice Chair Jeannie F. Simmonds, Councilmember Amy Z. Anderson, Councilmember Tom Jensen, and Councilmember Ernesto López. Administration present: Mayor Holly Daines, City Attorney Kymber Housley, Finance Department Rueben Nelson, Economic Development Director Kirk Jensen, Community Development Director Mike DeSimone, Planner Russ Holley, Planner Aaron Smith, Library Director Karen Clark, Fire Chief Brad Hannig, Police Chief Gary Jensen, Public Works Director Paul Lindhardt, Assistant Human Resource Director Ambrie Darley, Human Resource Director Greg Cox, City Recorder Teresa Harris and Deputy City Recorder Esli Morales. Excused: Finance Director Richard Anderson. 1 | Page Logan Municipal Council Minutes ~ Logan, Utah ~ February 2, 2021 OPENING CEREMONY: State of the City - Mayor Holly H. Daines 2021 State of the City Address February 2, 2021 Good Evening, I postponed my State of the City address from January, hoping we might be meeting again in person, but that is still not to be. What a year! The past twelve months brought a global pandemic that none of us ever imagined. We also had an earthquake mid- March, just as we were shutting down to try and fight coronavirus. The nation, and even Salt Lake City, experienced violent protests after the death of George Floyd. We did have protests in Logan, but fortunately, they were peaceful, and the Washington Post even picked up a story about our city police chiefs taking pizza to the protestors and having a conversation with them. Add to that list a 100-year windstorm in September that toppled many trees throughout the city, especially in the cemetery where the tree roots pulled up water lines and service roads, taking city crews from the cemetery, forestry, and public works three weeks to get it cleaned up. With all the challenges of this year, I have wondered how to be better prepared … the earthquake, in particular, got my attention. Our main Fire Station is nearly 50 years old and has some seismic issues. The roof on the Service Center, where a great deal of our city heavy equipment and vehicles are stored, also provides concern. We will need to invest capital funds in those buildings and are also applying for a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant to make sure we have the infrastructure to function well in future emergencies. During 2020, I realize many of our citizens, businesses and organizations struggled, and there have been some rough times. However, in November, NBC did a national news story on Logan, as we had the lowest unemployment rate in the entire country. Our local economy has continued to grow. Overall, as a city, we have been fortunate. Last March, at the request of the Governor, some of our employees worked from home if they were able to do that, and for a time we closed City Hall, the Library, and the Recreation Center in order to "flatten the curve." Many of our employees are considered "essential workers." They simply kept coming to work, doing their job day after day, doing all they could to protect each other. I am extremely proud of our team! They kept picking up the garbage and running the landfill, keeping the lights on, plowing and repairing the streets, keeping our water, wastewater, and sewer systems operating, taking care of our parks and trails, running library books to the curb, approving building permits and providing inspections, facilitating economic development and doing the dozens of other tasks in finance, legal, HR and the Recorder's office required to run a city. And our first responders – the Fire Fighters, EMT's and 2 | Page Logan Municipal Council Minutes ~ Logan, Utah ~ February 2, 2021 Police Officers – just kept working. Our EMT's went into homes to transport patients to the hospital, not knowing if a patient had Covid or not. Our police helped citizens and made arrests as necessary, wondering if they were being exposed. Our City Council kept up with their duties, either hosting socially distanced or online meetings. We do have an amazing team. The Council has wisely built-up reserves in all of our funds to prepare for a rainy day. When the pandemic hit in March, just as our budget was taking shape, we took a step back on some projects and expenses, to be cautious and prudent. As the year progressed, our overall revenues did not take the dramatic plunge that other cities have experienced, so we were able to move ahead with most projects. Here are a few highlights among the many things we accomplished in 2020: My number one priority and goal as Mayor is fiscal responsibility. The Finance Department plays a key role in accomplishing that goal by helping develop the overall budget and tracking expenses, allowing myself and the departmental head's the tools to manage the budget, and providing financial information to the council for their approval. They are critical to the city's excellent financial status. This year, Finance completed a city-wide transition to new software, a multi-year undertaking that will better serve our departments and citizens for years to come. They also administered over $4M of CARES funds, which required extremely careful expenditure and reporting. A second major goal is to revitalize downtown. We are focused on a four-block area and our Economic Development Director has played a key role. The Redevelopment Agency – or RDA -- has been building funds for some time for redevelopment projects. The City Council, acting as the RDA Board, approved funds this past year to incentivize two new housing developments in downtown, one on 100 south replacing the former blighted V1 gas station, another on 100 East. The RDA also purchased the blighted buildings near the corner of 300 North and Main which have been a vacant eyesore for years. We are currently doing asbestos mitigation and eventually will demolish those buildings to make way for new development. Although we paused for a while on our Center Block Plaza, we are again moving forward. The revised plans will keep Plaza 45 and the building to the South as requested by the Historic Preservation Committee. We will demolish the Emporium and adjacent building to create a plaza – a gathering place to benefit our citizens -- including an ice rink, splash pad, and stage. Plans are nearly complete as we work to finalize the budget for council approval and then submit designs to Planning Commission in the next few months. The RDA also assisted with the creation of the new Blue Spring Business Park on 600 West and 1000 North with an incentive to help cover part of the cost of new road and utility infrastructure. The project will be a welcome benefit for our tax base. We have also assisted a number of businesses that are expanding or moving to Logan. A new library is underway and will also be an exciting part of the downtown renovation. Council approved funding for the design and construction drawings, and we anticipate 3 | Page Logan Municipal Council Minutes ~ Logan, Utah ~ February 2, 2021 construction will begin by December 2021. We will demolish the existing library to make way for a new three-story building which will better serve our 700 daily patrons (at least pre-Covid) and the 238 community groups who meet there. By building up, we will gain additional parking and more plaza space for the library. During Covid, our staff was creative and hardworking, finding new ways to serve patrons with curbside pickup – staff walked outside over 12,000 times to safely deliver materials. That protocol will help bridge the gap while the old library is torn down and the new building is constructed.

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